Why do people live in London?

[Waahaawoowoo]

This thread is inspired by a thread where people where explaining how a £100k salary doesn't go far in London. Examples were given of mortgages costing £25k pa. (This is my salary). Childcare bills for 2 kids costing £40k. Our joint salary is £55k pa.

I live in NE Wales. Our house costs us £12k pa for a 3 bedroom semi. Wraparound Childcare used to cost a maximum of £12k pa. But we no longer pay due to age of kids and me WFH. I cannot get my head around DH and I being significantly better off than a couple who earn double what we do.

The logical answer to me would be to move from London. So why do people stay? Is it family? The type of work you do? I'm curious more than anything about what keeps people there when they could possibly have a better standard of living elsewhere.

I think you just arrange your life differently if you don't have a car.

We have bikes we can take the kids on so would usually either do that or take the bus for playdates. Would arrange to meet friends on a convenient public transport route. Would pay the delivery charge for IKEA. Would pay twice the delivery charge TBH to avoid going into IKEA.

Because it has been my home for most of my life. It is my family's home. Walking over Waterloo Bridge from work still gives me great pleasure. Being able to get to and from world renowned art galleries in one afternoon just to look at a couple of my favourite paintings and then have a glass of wine is fantastic.

Looking down from one of the several great parks I can walk to and having a great view of the city, not worrying about the last train leaving at 9 pm, being friends with people who were born outside of the UK and feel at home and welcomed in London. All these and more.

HTH.

It’s astonishing isn’t it how it’s ok to openly deride someone for living in London in a way us lovely Londoners wouldn’t do about other places. Someone at a wedding, random person really asked me sitting there with three toddler where I lived and said, “eugh I hate London”

I've seen plenty of comments from Londoners on MN and elsewhere insulting just about everywhere else outside of London. It works both ways. That said I don't really understand the need for it whatever direction the insults are going and it is a rather odd thread. What appeals to one person doesn't appeal to the other and vice versa. It's not that difficult a concept.

I live in the city of London and also have a second home in Wimbledon so I can still enjoy parks and trees etc.

Are you classing Wimbledon as your country retreat? 😄

I've lived in London all my life and I can appreciate areas outside of London without living there. There are some truly beautiful places outside of London and they're great for long weekends.

The convenience of having everything here. The diversity/ international vibe (people from everywhere- no need to travel, all the world is here. We still travel though). Direct flights to almost anywhere. Public transport. As much culture as you want. Groups, clubs, courses etc for anything. All the history. Always something happening, often for free.
DCs have lovely school trips, all free, because they will visit one of the big museums on public transport or something similar. Things are in walking distance.
We are always astonished how cheap things are outside of London, and how limited (eg no choice of daily playgroups, swimming classes, Deliveroo does not deliver to everywhere, limited choice of restaurants/ take away (obviously depends where you live - I’m sure Manchester or Birmingham do). Transport. What do you mean your train doesn’t go every few minutes/ no choice of bus route/ you have to drive to the station?
But to me the fun of London very much depends on being able to afford it.

I agree OP. I live in a village on the outskirts of a town in west Yorkshire. It's a lovely community and a beautiful place to live.
My son lived in London for 5 years after university. When we used to visit him, I couldn't get used to the smell of the place. It was awful. The streets in central London are a mix of sewers, car fumes and sweaty people.

I moved out of London when I was 33. I wanted to buy a house, rather than a flat. That was my main motivation. What I missed out on by moving was theatre, art galleries, vibrant culture etc etc. Also my commute to work tripled.

I have friends who will never leave London. I can't bear where they live, it's so dirty, noisy, full of drunk/drugged people roaming about. But they love it because they are arty, all their friends are there, they love theatre.opera, music and John Lewis all walking distance away.

This! So rude to the tourists that keep their towns alive!

I'd rather poke my very sore and not well eyes out than live in London.

It's about as close as I will get to living in the country. It's a desperate attempt to get access to green space and to be near a secondary school we hope our daughter will get a place at.

Food, theatre, music, people from everywhere, beautiful parks and architecture

Like many other places in the UK then…

I’m with you OP, I don’t get the appeal at all.

Genuinely ??!!

@bibbybox we love in Zone 3 at the top of a massive hill and don't own a car.

We walk most places locally and the buses and trains are more than adequate.

Apart from trades and people with disabilities I see owning a car i London as a want not a need. I grew up in a small village with one bus a day and 30 min walk to the nearest train station, where there was one train an hour. I laugh at Londoners who "need" a car.

There are bits of London that are less dunk and noisy and dirty you know.

What a ridiculously sweeping statement.

I lived in London in my 20’s. Fucking loved it, couldn’t think of a better place to live at that stage of my life. I miss aspects of it now, but not sure I would want to live there with small kids. I went to the barbican recently and would like to retire there. I’m going

Oh come on, you don’t really think no place other than London has daily playgroups and swimming lessons. Do you? 😂

We live here because my husband is from here and won’t move to Dublin where I’m from as the money is in London apparently 🤷🏼‍♀️

Because pretentious twats like to be with other pretentious twats and most of them are in London.

@Irah15 wasn’t Stephen Lawrence killed in a racist attack in London? Aren’t there regular attacks and murders based on race then…..

Yes we have a city pad because my husband sometimes works really long hours and we can't spare the two hours of commuting. Also this allows us more time with the kids during the working week. We can't afford a bigger family home in zone 1 so we have a proper family home in Wimbledon which is also near the grandparents and a secondary school that we want our daughter to eventually go to.

Yes I know, I lived in London for a long time. I was pointing out they won't leave their area because they are so close to everything they love. To them, that is what is important. I thought it was obvious what I was saying in response to the question 'why do people live in London?'

What an odd question to ask. I was brought up in London (dont live there now but for financial reasons). Would jump at moving back if I won the lottery. You dont need a car, transport is good and tubes are everywhere in London. Theatres, fab restaurants. Its much much more multi cultural than many many other areas who dont always welcome people from other cultures.

I live in a very nice part of the UK within striking distance of London and go in couple of times a month. We have tons of gastro pubs, beautiful walks etc but there is no where like London. Parents made tons of money on their house (which ended up going to a care home but it enabled them to choose where they went). Leading edge hospitals with the top doctors. Friend is being treated at the Royal Marsden. You wont get that in the middle of Cornwall.

I have been to Wales twice. It was twice too much. Scenery was nice but oh my - the inward looking attitude was awful. That and the crap food and the feeling it was a place where people were waiting to pass on. Sorry - but you couldnt pay me to go back.

Where do you live now?